UNRIC Brussels would like to welcome you to a Special Edition of CINE ONU celebrating UN Day

A film by (2008)

Synopsis

Jeremy Gilley was an actor before he founded in 1999. He had become disillusioned with his work, but understood the potential of film to positively affect people and create change in the world. So when he set out on his near impossible mission in 1999, he took a camera with him. Every journey made, every country visited and every person met – he got it all on camera. Ten years on, The Day After Peace is his story – the story of Peace One Day.

© PeaceOneDay The Day After Peace charts the remarkable 10- year journey of award-winning filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish an annual Peace Day on 21 September. The camera follows Jeremy as he galvanises the countries of the world to recognise an official day of ceasefire and non-violence.

But even after the member states of the UN unanimously adopt Peace Day, the struggle isn’t over. As the years pass, there’s not a single ceasefire. The voices of the cynics are growing louder, but Jeremy can’t let it fail.

The film’s breathtaking conclusion finds Gilley joined by in Afghanistan attempting to spearhead a massive vaccination against polio on Peace Day. Will peace prevail? Will lives be saved? Or were the cynics right?

The Day After Peace is a moving testament to the power of the individual and the perseverance of the human spirit.

"We must make every effort for the promotion of peace and inner values. I fully support Peace One Day." His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Laureate

"Through Jeremy's sheer perseverance, a day now exists for people and communities to come together and work towards a peaceful future. We are asking all sectors of society, including every UN member state to commit to actively observing this UN Resolution."

2 About Peace One Day

In 1999, preoccupied with questions about the fundamental nature of humanity and the most pressing issues of our time, filmmaker Jeremy Gilley launched Peace One Day and set out to find a starting point for peace. He had a mission: to document his efforts to establish the first ever annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence with a fixed calendar date.

Remarkably, two years on, he achieved his primary objective when the 192 member states of the unanimously adopted 21 September as an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on the UN International Day of Peace. We call that day Peace Day.

The UN International Day of Peace on 21 September every year is not only about creating peace between nations, it’s about non-violence in our homes, communities and schools. Therefore Peace Day is relevant to every human being on the planet.

Now the next major objective is to introduce 3 billion people to Peace Day by 2012. To do it, we need the help of all people regardless of age, race, nationality, religion or gender; people who are willing to stand up for peace.

Mission

Peace One Day looks to engage all sectors of society, including governments, organisations of the United Nations system, regional and non-governmental organisations and individuals in observance of 21 September, through the practical manifestation of non-violence and ceasefire in accordance with UN GA Resolution 55/282, and encourage action on Peace Day that creates a united and sustainable world.

Peace One Day is a non-profit organisation, impartial and independent of any government, political persuasion, corporation or religious creed. More about Peace One Day at: www.peaceoneday.org.

UNRIC supports

© PeaceOneDay

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S N A T I O N S U N I E S

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL -- MESSAGE ON UN DAY 24 October 2009

On this United Nations Day and every day throughout the year, the United Nations is at work -- for the planet, for jobs, for “we the peoples”.

We deliver more humanitarian aid than anyone – and to the toughest places. We vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s children. We feed more than 100 million people and are helping more than 30 million refugees, most of them women and children fleeing war and persecution. We are deploying more peacekeepers than ever -- more than 115,000. In the last year alone, we provided electoral assistance to almost 50 countries. And the entire UN system has mobilized to face global economic turmoil and the social unrest it threatens.

People look to the United Nations to defeat poverty and hunger, to keep the peace, to expand education and stand up for human rights in every corner of the globe. They look to us to stop the spread of deadly weapons and disease, and to protect people and families hit by disasters. In December, they will look to us to seal a comprehensive, equitable and ambitious deal on climate change that will protect us all and pave the way toward a greener, more sustainable economy.

This is a unique moment in world affairs. Multiple crises – food, fuel, financial, flu – are hitting at once. Climate change looms larger every day. Each illustrates a 21st-century truth: we share one planet, one home. As people, as nations, as a species, we sink or swim together.

The United Nations is doing its utmost to respond – to address the big issues, to look at the big picture. We are forging a new multilateralism that can deliver real results for all people, especially those most in need. But I am also painfully aware of the distance to go and the gap between commitment and action. On this UN Day, let us resolve to redouble our efforts on behalf of the vulnerable, the powerless, the defenceless. Let us stand more united than ever – united in purpose and united in action to make the world a safer, better place.

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